Chapter 229: Ohara’s Tree of Knowledge
The Hell Pirates roamed the West Blue with reckless abandon, leaving the World Government and Navy Headquarters scrambling. A flying crew with that kind of strength? Good luck catching them!
The Navy could only guess at their next move. Redfield’s hometown was a known target, but after that? Who knew where they’d strike?
They suspected the Hell Pirates might head to Brook’s homeland next. But even if they were right, what could they do? No Admiral-level firepower was stationed in the West Blue. Instead, the Navy’s three Admirals were mustering at Reverse Mountain, ready to ambush the Hell Pirates when they returned to the Grand Line.
The Navy Fleet Admiral was certain Brook’s crew would eventually loop back through Reverse Mountain to re-enter the New World. After all, their main base was there! Weren’t they worried about rival overlords encroaching on their territory after being gone so long?
Speaking of territory, Brook didn’t sweat the dozen or so islands under the Hell Pirates’ flag. He cared only about Wano, Skypiea’s Baron Island, and Fishman Island. The rest? If someone snatched them, he’d just take them back later.
What Brook didn’t know was that a pitch-black pirate ship had already crept into Elan Island, eyeing it with sinister intent...
...
On the Golden Island, Brook gave Golden Lion Shiki a bold order: expand the island’s capacity. Why? Because he planned to steal Ohara’s Tree of Knowledge—lock, stock, and barrel!
Don’t ask why. Brook’s answer? Because I want to!
In the future, Shiki’s Float-Float Fruit could keep a dozen islands airborne for decades, massive ones at that, teeming with beasts and even winter climates. For now, Golden Island was sparse—just a golden city hall, a few large research labs, and some recently plundered red-soil wheat fields.
The plan was to bulk up the island’s size and volume to house the entire Tree of Knowledge, along with every scientist and scholar on Ohara.
These were the world’s elite minds! If they could assist Vegapunk, research would skyrocket. So, why not whisk them all off to Skypiea?
Unbeknownst to the scholars inside the Tree of Knowledge, their lives were about to change forever. They were still buried in their books, studying tirelessly to earn doctorates and access rare manuscripts.
The Tree of Knowledge, with its five-thousand-year history, was a colossal structure. Its hollow trunk formed a natural treehouse, ingeniously transformed by clever minds into the world’s largest library. The tree’s unique scent repelled bugs and kept books dry, preserving them perfectly.
This library held the world’s knowledge, updated yearly with authoritative new works. Being archived here was a badge of honor for authors and scholars, a sign their work had earned the approval of the Tree’s doctors and contributed to global progress.
Ancient texts, even those in forgotten scripts, filled the shelves, making Ohara’s archaeology program renowned worldwide.
...
Shiki thought Brook was exaggerating. How could Golden Island fail to hold a single tree? What, was the Tree of Knowledge some mythical giant like the Adam or Eve Trees?
But when Golden Island drifted over Ohara, revealing a massive green canopy covering half the island, even the New World-hardened crew was stunned.
"Good thing, Brook," Shiki said, scratching his head. "It’ll fit, but those five-thousand-year-old roots might stretch across the whole island. We might have to carve up half of Ohara to take it!"
"Do what you can with your powers," Brook replied. "Make it float, however you manage it. If it comes to it, chop the damn thing down!"
Brook wasn’t sure of the limits of Shiki’s Float-Float Fruit, but he trusted Shiki to figure it out. No need to micromanage.
Vegapunk, meanwhile, was practically vibrating with excitement. The Tree of Knowledge was his holy grail!
As the massive Golden Island loomed overhead, Ohara’s residents panicked. Their defenses could handle small-time pirates with bounties of ten or twenty million Belly, but this? An island as big as theirs, casting a shadow of dread?
The commotion reached the scholars and doctors inside the Tree of Knowledge. They rushed out, gaping at the apocalyptic sight: a floating island blotting out the sun, plunging Ohara into twilight.
Shiki maneuvered to a prime spot, preparing to use his Float-Float Fruit to lift the Tree of Knowledge—maybe even the whole island—and merge it temporarily with Golden Island for the trip back to the New World. It’d take time, but he was up for it.
Sunlight returned to Ohara as the Hell Pirates descended in their golden airship, landing before the Tree of Knowledge.
Shiki got to work, his powers enveloping the island. It’d take a while to lift something this massive.
Vegapunk, on the other hand, couldn’t wait. He rushed to greet the Tree’s doctors and dove into the library, practically giddy.
Dr. Kutu, the current head librarian, watched the pirates with a grim expression. The library had a room dedicated to collecting daily newspapers and bounty posters. He knew exactly who these New World legends were. Seeing Brook, his heart sank.
"Pirate!" Kutu roared, undaunted. "If you dare harm the Tree of Knowledge, you’ll be the enemy of all humanity! Every scholar in the world will curse your name! Ohara and the Tree have no treasure. You pirates have no business here—get out!"
The fearless scholar planted himself in front of Brook, ready to die before letting the pirates destroy his life’s work.
"Yohohoho!" Brook chuckled, unfazed. "Do I look like I’m strapped for cash? I’m here to give you a heads-up: we’re relocating the Tree of Knowledge. And, well, you’re all coming with it—consider yourselves ’kidnapped’!
"Don’t resist, or we’ll chop the Tree down and loot every last book, leaving you with nothing to read!"
Brook’s tone was light, but his icy fingers froze Kutu’s outstretched hand solid. He didn’t take kindly to being pointed at.
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